Grilled Chicken Peach and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Basil Vinaigrette
This Grilled Chicken Peach and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Basil Vinaigrette is going to be your new favorite salad of summer! The tender organic chicken is marinated and grilled to juicy perfection then tossed with grilled yellow peaches, juicy corn, fresh mozzarella cheese and finely chopped chives. It’s summer in a bowl!
If you love this recipe try my Summer Chicken Salad or my Garden Vegetable Chicken Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
High-quality chicken. For this recipe I used Smart Chicken’s organic boneless skinless chicken breasts. Their chicken is air chilled, hand trimmed and never given antibiotics. Making it the best tasting chicken I’ve ever tried!
Easy to make. This grilled chicken salad recipe only requires a few simple fresh ingredients and tastes amazing.
Perfect for meal prep. You can easily make this grilled chicken salad recipe ahead of time and enjoy it throughout the week.
This post was sponsored by Smart Chicken. While I was compensated for my time, all opinions are my own!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken: This recipe calls for organic Smart Chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts. Option to use their tenderloins instead.
- Marinade: Combine avocado oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Mix well. You’ll need extra avocado oil for the grill grates and the peaches.
- Peaches: You’ll need 2.5 – 3 yellow peaches for this recipe. Make sure they are ripe but not overly ripe. You want them to be slightly firm to touch so they hold up on the grill.
- Corn: This recipe calls for corn on the cob. You’ll need 3-4 ears of corn based on size.
- Cheese: This recipe calls for mozzarella cheese. You can use pearls, or you can cube a larger block of mozzarella down into small pieces.
- Herbs: This recipe calls for freshly chopped chives.
Recipe Ingredients Continued
- Jalapeno Basil Vinaigrette: Add basil leaves, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, honey, seeded jalapeno, kosher salt and extra virgin olive oil to a high-speed blender. Buzz until smooth.
Variations
Swap the cheese: You can use whatever cheese you enjoy most. Cubed Swiss, Manchego or Gruyere.
Sub the herbs. Use scallions instead of chives. You could also add mint if you’d like.
Make the dressing less spicy. Option to omit the jalapeno all together if you do not like spice.
Expert Tips
- Do not use overly ripe peaches. They will not hold up on the grill. They should be slightly firm to touch.
- Husk the corn, remove any silk and trim the ends.
- Pound the chicken breasts so they cook quickly and evenly on the grill. Option to use chicken tenderloins instead.
- Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes up to 4 hours covered in the refrigerator.
- Brush the grill grates with avocado oil to prevent the chicken, peaches and corn from sticking.
- Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before placing it on the prepared grill.
- The peaches only need 2-3 minutes to get nice grill marks. So, add the peaches right before you’re ready to remove the chicken from the grill. Make sure you brush the peaches with avocado oil before placing them on the grill, center side down.
- The husked corn only needs 8-10 minutes on the grill. Turn frequently so any one side doesn’t get too brown.
How to Make
Preheat the grill to 400-425 degrees.
Marinate the Chicken
Pound the Smart Chicken chicken breasts so they cook quickly and evenly. Once pounded, add them to a nonreactive bowl. Mix the avocado oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Pour this marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 4 hours.
Make the Dressing
Add basil leaves, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, honey, seeded jalapeno, kosher salt and extra virgin olive oil to a high-speed blender. Buzz until smooth. Pour into a storage jar, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prep the Peaches and Corn
Slice the peaches in half and remove the pit. Add the peach halves to a bowl and drizzle with avocado oil. Husk the corn and remove the silk. Trim the ends.
Grill the Chicken, Peaches and Corn
Brush the grill grates with avocado oil and add the marinated chicken. Cook for 8-10 minutes per side. This will vary based on the thickness of your chicken. My chicken was on the thicker side.
To ensure doneness the internal temperature of the chicken should ready 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can remove the chicken from the grill at 160 and let it come up to 165 to be fully cooked through.
Add the husked corn when you only have 10-15 minutes left for the chicken. Turn it frequently so it doesn’t brown too much on any one side.
When there is 2-3 minutes left add the oiled peach halves to the grill center side down. Do not move them. Once they have nice char marks use tongs to remove them from the grill.
Dice Everything
Remove everything from the grill. Once the chicken has rested and cooled, dice it into bite sized pieces. Same for the peaches. You can carefully remove the grilled kernels from the cob. Dice the mozzarella and chop the chives.
Assemble
Add the diced chicken, peaches, corn kernels, mozzarella cheese, and chives to a bowl Season lightly with a touch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Toss everything together. Then drizzle it with as much or as little of the jalapeno basil vinaigrette as you desire. Taste and season accordingly. Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
This chicken salad will last for up to 4-5 days if stored covered in the refrigerator. Extra dressing can be stored in a separate covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Enjoy this grilled chicken salad recipe with a side of my Easy Watermelon Salad or my Greek Salad for some greens!
Other Chicken Salad Recipes to Consider Trying
- Southwest Shredded Chicken Salad
- Chopped Greek Chicken Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Salad with Cottage Cheese
- Pickle Chicken Salad
- Pomegranate Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken Salad
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Shredded BLT Chicken Salad
- Tzatziki Inspired Chicken Salad
- Garden Vegetable Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken Peach and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Basil Vinaigrette
Equipment
- 1 gas grill
- 1 set of grill tongs
- 1 grill brush
- 4 mixing bowls two for the dressings, one for the chicken, one for the peaches
- 1 high-powdered blender
Ingredients
Marinated Chicken
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breasts, Smart Chicken, boneless skinless
- ¼ cup avocado oil, plus more for the grill grates and peaches
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- few turns cracked black pepper
Other Salad Ingredients
- 2.5 – 3 yellow peaches, slice in half and remove pit
- 3 ears corn on the cob, husked
- 1+¼ cup mozzarella cheese, cubed or pearls
- 3-4 tablespoons chives, chopped small
- pinch kosher salt, to lightly season
- few turns cracked black pepper, to lightly season
Jalapeno Basil Vinaigrette
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3-4 ounces fresh basil, remove stems
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small jalapeno, remove seeds and veins
- 1-2 tablespoons honey, depending on preferred sweetness
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, use less if using table salt
Instructions
How to Make
- Preheat the grill to 400-425 degrees.
Marinate the Chicken
- Pound the Smart Chicken chicken breasts so they cook quickly and evenly. Once pounded, add them to a nonreactive bowl. Mix the avocado oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Pour this marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 4 hours.
Make the Dressing
- Add basil leaves, garlic cloves, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, honey, seeded jalapeno, kosher salt and extra virgin olive oil to a high-speed blender. Buzz until smooth. Pour into a storage jar, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prep the Peaches and Corn
- Slice the peaches in half and remove the pit. Add the peach halves to a bowl and drizzle with avocado oil. Husk the corn and remove the silk. Trim the ends.
Grill the Chicken, Peaches and Corn
- Brush the grill grates with avocado oil and add the marinated chicken. Cook for 8-10 minutes per side. This will vary based on the thickness of your chicken. My chicken was on the thicker side.
- To ensure doneness the internal temperature of the chicken should ready 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit. You can remove the chicken from the grill at 160 and let it come up to 165 to be fully cooked through.
- Add the husked corn when you only have 10-15 minutes left for the chicken. Turn it frequently so it doesn’t brown too much on any one side.
- When there is 2-3 minutes left add the oiled peach halves to the grill center side down. Do not move them. Once they have nice char marks use tongs to remove them from the grill.
Dice Everything
- Remove everything from the grill. Once the chicken has rested and cooled, dice it into bite sized pieces. Same for the peaches. You can carefully remove the grilled kernels from the cob. Dice the mozzarella and chop the chives.
Assemble
- Add the diced chicken, peaches, corn kernels, mozzarella cheese, and chives to a bowl Season lightly with a touch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Toss everything together. Then drizzle it with as much or as little of the jalapeno basil vinaigrette as you desire. Taste and season accordingly. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This chicken salad will last for up to 4-5 days if stored covered in the refrigerator. Extra dressing can be stored in a separate covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
